Carina Rose Black, The Third Year
by Katie80-90Thousand
Summary: Third year has arrived, and with it, more chaos for Carina! Pettigrew has escaped, James is being overprotective, and teenage boys SUCK. So much for a nice, calm school year...
1. What You Should And Should Not Say

**(((WARNING: This was written while under the influence of the worst cold I can ever remember having. In other words, it was written while my mom and my sister, pretty much my best friends, were both annoyed with me to the point of ignoring me. Yeah, I'm not a fun person to be around when I'm sick. Anyway, I kept getting blocked, stopping, and writing again, so some of it is kind of disjointed. **

**Okay, also, I should warn that some of Carina's insults, both directed at other people and at her, are a little bit worse than they were in the other two. **

**Umm… oh, some of the lines in chapter ten should be credited to DarkGoddess2002, because I couldn't figure out what I wanted James to say and her one-shot 'first date' made me laugh. Before I forget: I don't own Harry Potter. If I had any rights to it, I'd have given them up after reading the epilogue. **

**I'm really sorry if this story isn't as good as the previous two, I've just been feeling like crap and it was an issue to get out of bed, let alone type the stories I was writing in my mind! ******** Toodles – Kate!)))**

**CARINA BLACK, THE THIRD YEAR**

**Chapter One: Carina Hears The News**

**July 21****st**** 1993, Around Lunch Time**

Carina was seriously wondering what the HELL was wrong with her godfather and uncles. She was used to them being weird, she'd have been surprised if they _weren't_, but they had now taken overprotective to a level that Carina had not previously thought was possible!

Their constant supervision easily explained why Carina had locked herself in her room, reading and refusing to speak to them, in her opinion. Merlin, but it was annoying, the way they were acting!

It hadn't started until she'd been home for almost three weeks, she was sure of that, so it wasn't a reaction to the Chamber problems of last year. At any rate, _she_ was still upset about the chamber, but with help from her friends, especially talking about what had happened in the chamber with Ginny, she was starting to get past it. So what possible reason could they have to act like Voldemort was resurrected and after her blood?!

Honestly, they wouldn't even let her leave the house, it was driving her insane! Carina huffed, still furious that they wouldn't let her go see Hermione.

It would be one thing if they'd tell her _why_ they were being so overprotective, but if she so much as started to ask, they changed the subject.

…maybe Voldemort really _had_ been resurrected?

Carina immediately dismissed that thought. Voldie had made two attempts to return in as many years, and his last attempt had only been two months ago, so it seemed unlikely for it to be that.

With a groan, she placed a book mark on the page she was sure she had now read ten times, and closed it, setting it on her nightstand. Normally any book could hold her attention for as long as it took to read it, but for some reason she felt restless, and she didn't think that even Rowena Ravenclaws journals would be able to keep her occupied.

Well, _maybe_ Ravenclaws journal would do it, but seeing as the chances of them being found anytime were lower than zero, there was nothing that could keep her occupied.

"Ugh," she mumbled, frustrated. What was _wrong_ with her? Aside from being irritated with James and her uncles, and wishing that Hermione or Ginny could come over since she couldn't go to them, there really weren't any major problems in her life.

Okay, so she was hungry, and that explained not being able to concentrate – it wouldn't have a few years ago, but it did now – but this was unreasonable! Then again, it was the only logical explanation she could think of. Maybe James' insanity was contagious or something. Well, if for no other reason than to insure that she really wasn't getting stupid from lack of food, she would go eat lunch.

Half-way down the stairs, she heard voices. Her brows furrowed, she recognized all three of those voices, one of them was her godfather, one of them was her head of house, and the last was none other than Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts.

Tip-toeing the rest of the way down, she stopped outside the door to her godfathers study. It was kind of alarming, really, that they were talking in there, because James rarely let _anyone_ in there unless it was a REALLY big deal. (Carina winced as she remembered the two times she'd actually been in there).

"…you can't believe they'll actually do that, though!" James was protesting.

Carina blinked in surprise. Who wouldn't actually do what?

"I know, James, but Cornelius is insisting, and they won't actually be on the castle grounds," that was Dumbledore.

"I won't have them around my goddaughter!"

Oh, that was bad, he was shouting now. Somewhere in the part of her mind that wasn't occupied with finding out what the hell was going on, she felt extremely sorry for her headmaster.

"It's for their protection," that was Flitwick.

"You can't honestly believe that, can you?" James practically screamed.

"I believe that is what Minister Fudge believes, but no, I do not think that those evil creatures would do a decent job of protecting anyone or anything," Flitwick answered.

An alarmed feeling settled over Carina. Mentally she prayed that she was just assuming, and that she wasn't right. She doubted it, though.

"Do a good enough job protecting innocent people from justice," James shot back bitterly, and there was a long silence from inside the study that even in the hall, Carina could tell was awkward. And she hadn't been mistaken. Dementors were apparently going to be protecting her, or rather all the Hogwarts students. But protecting them from what?

"Right now they are trying to bring someone guilty to justice!" Dumbledore argued, not sounding at all like he believed what he was saying.

"Well why don't we get off of our asses and hunt the rat down instead of expecting our back-ass-words ministry to do its job!" James roared.

Oh, ouch. She'd never heard him yell that loudly. That was kind of scary.

It took a second for what he'd said to click in her mind, and then lots of things, like the way James had been acting for the last week or so, suddenly made a lot more sense. Pettigrew had escaped. How in the HELL had Pettigrew escaped?!

Unable to think clearly, she shoved the door to the study open, wanting answers: like to why she hadn't been told that Pettigrew had escaped and was, in all likelihood, going to come after her.

All three men spun around to face her, and she stared at James determinedly. "How can I be expected to stay safe if I don't even know I'm in danger?" she asked him icily.

James sighed, looking so desperate that for a moment, Carina regretted her question. Only for a moment though. He could have just _told_ her and saved them the trouble!

"You're not even thirteen, you shouldn't have to deal with – "

Carina's eyes narrowed. "All the more reason!" she countered. "I'm not even thirteen, I couldn't possibly defend myself against a fully grown wizard, could I? So how am I supposed to stay out of trouble if I don't know what to avoid!? I'll give you that I'm not an adult, but I'm not exactly a child either, James! You couldn't possibly have believed I'd never have caught on! What about when I go back to school, huh? What were you going to do, pull me out? Make the whole school promise to be quiet about Pettigrew escaping?! Hell, while you're at it, why don't you just take my wand and leave me defenseless in the forbidden forest!" she shouted furiously.

James looked pale and horrified, and Dumbledore cleared his throat quietly. "I have things I need to be doing, but James, should you want to continue our conversation, we can do so tomorrow."

Dumbledore left the study, Flitwick following after him.

James didn't move, in fact he looked as if he'd just seen his world fall apart.

But Carina wasn't budging; that information, not knowing about Pettigrew, it could have caused a whole lot of trouble. She didn't even want to _think_ about it. Even with her firm belief that she had every right to say what she had didn't make looking at James' horrified, stunned and guilty expression any easier.

And he _still_ hadn't said anything.

Carina rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in the air, leaving the study to go get the lunch she'd intended on getting in the first place.

CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB July 21st 1993, Evening 

"Carina? Can I come in?"

The only thing that stopped Carina from throwing her book in the direction of the door was that she didn't want Hermione to kill her, and it was Hermione's book.

"Fine," she said defeatedly, rolling her eyes when Remus entered the room.

"About what you and J –"

"I. Do. Not. Want. To. Talk. About. It." She told him pointedly.

"Well, I do," he said mildly, and Carina mentally cursed underage magic laws, because were it not for them, she would have hexed him! She _hated_ that voice! Didn't the man know how to get angry?!

"And I don't," she countered, trying not to lose her temper.

"Tough luck," he responded in the same tone as before. "Did you know that in the last six hours, your godfather hasn't moved from his study?" he asked. "Did you know that the only reason I know what happened is that James had asked me to come with him so he could take you to visit Hermione without feeling like you were in danger? I came to find out why he hadn't shown up. He wouldn't even talk to me, I only know what I know because of the portrait of his great-grandfather that's in there on the wall."

Carina felt a surge of guilt. "He should have told me," she said stubbornly.

"Maybe so," Remus conceded, and Carina about fell off her bed in shock.

"What?" she asked incredulously.

For a second, Carina thought Remus was smirking, but her opinion quickly changed as he continued talking.

"He probably should have told you, and I know for a fact that he intended on telling you before he took you to see Hermione," Remus told her, and she felt even worse. She probably should have talked to him before overreacting…

"But that aside, he is your guardian, and really, it's his choice if he doesn't think you should know about it yet," he continued.

"If he told me to jump off a cliff, would you think I should do it?" she asked him sarcastically.

"No, but he would never do that," Remus countered calmly. "Since you are clearly not going to listen to me from that point, let's try this: all James has wanted since you were born, and even more so since you moved in here, is for you to be happy, safe and healthy. You basically accused him of purposely working for the opposite of that. Think about how he's feeling right now."

Carina bit her lip. "It was true, though! Not knowing about him being loose left me helpless!"

"Do you honestly think James would risk your life like that?" Remus asked, finally started to sound a little angry… and exasperated.

"Not willingly," she reluctantly admitted.

"And what do you think his intent in not telling you was? To keep you happy and somewhat safe, or to put your life in danger?" Remus continued.

Miserably, and knowing that Remus knew exactly what he was doing to her with these questions, she answered, "To keep me happy and safe."

"Did you consider that maybe he was trying to figure out how to tell you that your parents' betrayer was once again on the loose? That he was trying to figure out how to tell you without being insensitive about it?" Remus asked.

Carina wordlessly shook her head.

"And did you consider that he might think you have enough to deal with, what with your adventure at the end of this year? That he was trying to protect you until he was sure that you could deal with yet another thing to worry about?" Remus pressed.

Right now, all Carina wanted was for a hole to appear so that she could hide in it. Even if the other comments hadn't made her start to consider James' side, that last one would've done it. She picked up the pillow that had been on her lap and buried her head in it. How did he do that?! Fifteen minutes ago she had been sure that she was right, and now here she felt like the lowest bit of scum in existence!

She heard Remus start to walk back towards the door, and he told her, "I am going to go try to get James to stop moping, I'd suggest you think about this for awhile before you talk to him."

Carina groaned as she heard her door shut softly. It was going to be a long night, and she was probably going to end up spending most of it feeling guilty! Wonderful…

**July 22****nd**** 1993, Two A.M.**

Carina was going insane. That was all there was to it. She could not just sit here and wallow in guilt anymore, and it wasn't like sitting here was going to help her feel better! With an annoyed huff, she crawled out of bed and grabbed the smaller blanket that she generally used when it was too hot to use anything else, and wrapped it around her. This done, she made her way downstairs as quietly as she could manage. Maybe James would still be in his study…

Well, it looked like he was. The door was shut, but there was a bit of light shining from the creaks, so he was probably in there. Biting her lip, she knocked softly before she lost her nerve.

"'Rina?"

James sounded shocked, which Carina supposed she could understand. "Can I come in, James?"

The door opened, revealing her godfather who looked like he felt as bad as she did.

Quietly she entered the room and sat down on the couch that was across from the desk where James spent most of his time when he was in here. She curled up and made sure the blanket was covering her feet, letting this occupy her attention until she could figure out what she was going to say. After a long, tense silence, Carina blurted, "I'm sorry."

James looked at her in shock. "Why are you sorry?"

"Are you asking that to make me feel bad or because you really don't know?" she asked skeptically.

"Because I really don't know," he answered, looking confused.

"Merlin, no wonder Remus is the smart one," she mumbled. "How about, I'm sorry I never think before I open my mouth, I'm sorry I accused you of putting me in danger, I'm sorry I didn't give you the chance to explain, and I'm sorry I didn't consider that you might have had a reason?" she offered sadly.

James looked even more shocked.

"Were you really going to take me to see Hermione?" she asked in a small voice, feeling even worse when he nodded. "And you were going to tell me before you did?" He nodded again. "Then lets add I'm sorry I'm such a bitch to the list," she said guiltily.

James looked at her sharply, "You are not a bitch, in any meaning of the word. Merlin, Carina," he sighed. "You aren't the only one who screwed up here, and I'm not – "

"If you aren't angry and upset, you should be," she interrupted.

"Oh?" he questioned. "And why is that?"

"…for all the same reasons I've already listed," she said in annoyance. "And no, I'm not the only one who screwed up here, but I _am_ the one who screwed up the worst."

James chuckled. "Merlin, we're a right sad pair, aren't we?"

Carina felt a smile pull at her lips. "That we are. I really am sorry I accused you of that."

James sighed. "Did you really believe I would do that to you?"

Carina bit her lip. "Not exactly."

James raised an eyebrow.

"I never believed you would do it intentionally, but…" she trailed off with a shrug.

James smiled mirthlessly.

"I really don't think you'd ever let anything hurt me," she said in a rush. "I'm reasonably sure that you'd do anything to stop me from getting hurt. I've just… I don't know, I was acting like a Gryffindor, opening my mouth without thinking," she giggled at the expression on James' face. "I mean, I've been really annoyed with how overprotective you're all being, and how you kept changing the subject when I tried to figure out why. I shouldn't have said what I did, my only excuse is that I wasn't thinking clearly."

"You? Not thinking clearly? 'Rina, are you feeling okay?" he asked in mock concern.

Carina grinned. "Ha, ha," she said dryly.

"Now that my grandson has figured out the obvious, that young Miss Black does not think he would put her in danger, and Miss Black has figured out that she was being disrespectful and obtuse, do you think you could give me some peace?" a new voice spoke up, and it took Carina a second to find the portrait of James' great-grandfather.

"Don't mind him," James advised her. "Ol' Grandpa Henry is just upset that he fights with his wife even more as a portrait than he did when they were alive."

Carina coughed, trying not to laugh.

The moment of hilarity passed, and James said, "Seriously, Carina, I want you to promise me you'll be careful this year. Please. I can't lose you, too."

Carina looked him in the eyes, "I promise I'll be careful. I don't _want_ to die. But I do want you to promise me that you'll stay safe, too."

"I'll do my best," James promised.


	2. Trains, Jokes And Dementors

**Chapter Two: Carina Can't Believe They Didn't Tell Her**

**September 1****st**** 1993**

(James' PoV)

"We are going to be late, girls!"

James gave an exasperated sigh at the sound of giggling coming in upstairs being the only response to his attempt to make them hurry up. Maybe this hadn't been the wisest idea. But Carina had wanted _just one more_ girls night in with them, never mind that she'd be in a dormitory with three out of the four of them for nine straight months… "Merlin, girls, you can have your giggle fest on the train, but you're going to miss it if you don't hurry!"

More giggles. James rolled his eyes heavenward. He'd go up there and ask them to come down, but he'd learned his lesson at the first sleepover 'Rina had had. Moral of the story? Teenage girls were scary. Very scary. Even more scary than they'd been when he was a teenager as well.

And the train would leave Kings Cross in less than fifteen minutes. Okay, it was time for last resorts to be used, James thought, sending mental thank you's to Andromeda Tonks, Molly Weasley, and Jasmine Granger. "Elladora Regina Lestrange! Dorea Bellatrix Lestrange! Hermione Jasmine Granger! Ginevra Molly Weasley! Carina Rose Black! Hurry up NOW!"

This was met with a profound silence. Then there was a muffled slamming, followed by footsteps, and the five girls appearing at the top of the staircase, let by 'Rina, who did not look pleased.

What had he done _this_ time? "Are you ready?" he asked, more than ready for them to get to Hogwarts so he could have _just one_ moment of peace. Then again, knowing 'Rina, that wasn't likely to happen. Wonderful.

All of them nodded and it was all James could do not to jump up and down in relief. Now all that was left was to portkey them there and say goodbye. He could do that. Then he would take a nice, long nap, and wake up and savor the silence. Not that he didn't love 'Rina and all, but the noise of several thirteen year olds made him wish that they could use magic in the summers – he was supposed to be responsible, and silencing a room so he could ignore five teenage girls wasn't likely to be considered as such. If they did it, however…

CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB 

(Back to Carina's PoV)

"'Rina, come back here for a minute, will you?"

Carina groaned and told her friends she'd be back, jogging back over to where her godfather was still standing. "What's up, James?"

He stared at her, silent for a moment, and then said, "Be careful, okay?"

"I already said I would," Carina answered with a roll of her eyes. He hadn't really asked her to come back just to discuss what they'd already discussed a thousand times, had he? "Is that all?"

"No…" James answered, looking nervous. Carina raised an eyebrow.

"Don't hate me!" he blurted, and Carina blinked in confusion. "When you get to school, you're going to find out something I could have told you but didn't, please don't hate me!"

"…alright then," Carina said, eyeing James warily. "Is this thing something I _need_ to know?"

"No, but you'll want to," James answered.

"I'll deal," she said dryly. "Can I go now?"

James hugged her and she returned it, mainly because she really wanted him to let go and stop embarrassing her before it got any worse. She could _feel_ Malfoy's taunting haze on her back, and she was sure that Weasley would love to taunt her, too. "Have a good year."

"I will," Carina answered, running to the train, hoping to find her friends before they chose a compartment. But apparently they'd already done so.

With a sigh, Carina resigned herself to having to search the compartments to find them. It was a very annoyed Carina that opened the door to the one compartment she hadn't already checked, finding Ella, 'Rea, Mia, and Ginny all sitting together and whispering, and across from them was… Carina blinked and fought the urge to laugh. Was that what James had been worried about? "Fancy seeing you here, Remus," she said dryly.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he apologized. "I wanted to surprise you, but it probably wasn't the best plan, was it?"

Carina rolled her eyes. "You and James," she muttered. "I can't believe you didn't tell me, but I'm not angry about it! Merlin, you two seem to think I'm a two year old with your judgement of my maturity levels!"

This sent 'Rea into giggles. "They do have a point, though, 'Rina."

Carina glared. "Takes one to know one," she shot back.

Mia grinned and said mockingly, "What is this, preschool? I'm rubber, you're glue, whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you!"

Carina snorted at the looks on the confused purebloods faces. "Muggle thing," she told Ella, 'Rea and Ginny, who all nodded and had expressions that were begging her _not_ to explain. She gave Mia a wicked grin and said to the purebloods, "Should I clarify this one?"

"NO!" all three said in a rush, sending Carina and Hermione into a fit of laughter.

"Should I be scared?" Remus asked them dryly.

"Yes," Ginny said in a perfectly serious tone. "Because in a few minutes, we're going to bring out the make-up, and the hair spells."

Carina snorted in amusement. This was referring to a prank they had pulled on Remus, James and Keith this summer, after the three men had made fun of them. Actually, it had been James and Keith that had made fun of them, they just included Remus on principle.

"I can take points now," Remus warned jokingly.

"Oh, now _we're_ scared," Ginny replied sarcastically.

"Yes, we are," Hermione interrupted her. "So do stop threatening our newest teacher."

"Why?"

Remus looked incredibly amused at this turn of conversation, and mentally, Carina cursed her friends for their inability to see when it was NOT a good time to discuss something.

"Well, you can have at it, Gryffindor losing points really doesn't bother me, but I don't want to lose points from Ravenclaw," Hermione retorted.

"It's not like you couldn't earn them back," Ginny said obviously.

"Do you think we could trade heads of houses?" 'Rea asked thoughtfully.

"Wouldn't count on it," Carina responded, reluctantly feeling amused as well. "Don't think McGonagall could deal with people who think before they act, it would confuse the hell out of her."

Hermione muffled a snort of agreement.

"Not to mention," Carina continued, "The stupidity that is so abundant in the Gryffindor dorms would drive Flitwick to insanity. I honestly believe he thinks that being unintelligent is the worst thing that anyone could ever be. Oh, and don't forget, even if you are unintelligent, showing that in front of other houses ruins our reputation," she finished, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah," Ella spoke up. "But do you think McGonagall would have _given_ you points for hexing two people in the halls?"

Carina grinned, "I did not HEX them, I transfigured them. There is a difference. And if you subtract the points he gave from the points he took, we still lost five points."

"How on earth do you remember things like that?" Ginny asked in shock.

"It's a gift," Carina said smugly, earning laughter from everyone in the compartment, until the train stopped, causing confusion. "What on earth?" Carina wondered out loud. "We can't possibly be at Hogwarts yet…"

Remus had his wand out and was looking around carefully, as if trying to spot a disturbance.

Carina sucked in a breath. Suddenly it was cold, far too cold to be natural. She could hear voices echoing, but from the looks on the others' faces, she knew they weren't hearing them. In fact, they were all looking at her worried. "Cold," she gasped out.

Remus' eyes widened, and surprising all of them, he cursed.

The cold got stronger and stronger, and Carina could hear a shout of _run, Lily, protect our daughter_, and this was followed by a woman's pleading voice, _please not 'Rina, please not 'Rina, take me instead_, and mixed in, she could hear some of her worse moments at the Dursley's. She slid off her seat, leaning against it and burying her head in her hands, when she heard Remus' voice shout, "Expecto Patronum!"

Slowly, the cold went away, but feeling of desperation, sadness, and fear did not fade with it. Remus was looking around with worry apparent on his face. "Are you girls okay?"

Carina saw her friends nod shakily, and forced herself to do the same. "What _was_ that?" Hermione asked, sounding horrified.

"That was a guard of Azkaban, a dementor," Remus said grimly.

Carina knew what the answer would be before Remus said it, but the confirmation, that that was what her godfather had suffered for ten years, made her feel even worse. "Ten years," she breathed under her breath, causing everyone to turn and face her. "Never mind," she mumbled.

"But what did they _do_?" Hermione pressed for answers. "I mean, it got cold, and dark, and I felt as if I'd never be happy again, but what is that they are doing?"

Before Remus could answer, Carina did, in a rather mechanical voice, "Dementors are often referred to as preying on your happy memories, but rather than that, they bring your darkest, most horrifying memories to the front of your mind, and they feed off of the despair. Happiness is unbearable to them, that's why a Patronous drives them off."

Remus looked at her in surprise.

"Research," she mumbled in response.

"Not many people ever take the time to find out that it is despair they feed on, not happiness," Remus said sadly. "I wish you hadn't had the reason to."

"Me too," Carina agreed sadly.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, looking like she half-understood, which was not enough for her overactive sense of curiosity.

"They don't just guard Azkaban from afar," Carina answered her best friend. "They patrol the halls, they linger in front of cells… in high security, they don't ever leave."

Hermione's eyes widened in horror and understanding.

Remus was breaking apart chocolate now, giving a piece to each girl, and a rather larger one to Carina herself. She looked at it dubiously, knowing it was reputed to help, but feeling rather ill at the thought of eating _anything_ at this point.

"It will help," Remus promised.

"I know," Carina said reluctantly, taking a tiny bite off of it and ignoring Remus' amused expression.


	3. Teenage Boys Are Pure Evil

Chapter Three: Carina Despises All Teenage Boys 

(Might be a bit of a language problem in here, not sure what the rating should be, though…)

**September 2****nd**** 1993**

They had been back at school for less than a full day, and Carina wanted to rip her hair out. How did all teenage boys possess the ability to drive her absolutely insane?! If she had to listen to Malfoy taunt her about Pettigrew, or her cousins ask her if she was okay, or Terry and Stephen acting like she was some sort of goddess for much longer, she was going to seriously injure something … or someone. And it was only barely breakfast, for Merlin's sake!

"Oh you have got to be kidding me," she mumbled in horror, looking at her schedule.

"What is it?" Hermione asked with concern.

"Arithmancy, which is great, is followed by potions, which is horrible, followed by lunch, which is okay, followed by care of magical creatures, with of all people teaching it, HAGRID!" Carina said, letting her horror seep into her voice. "We're all gonna die," she moaned.

Hermione cracked a wry grin. "I doubt Hagrid would let that happen," she said diplomatically.

"His definition of danger and mine differ extremely," Carina responded flatly.

"Hey, Black, do you think the blood traitor will protect you when Pettigrew shows up for you?" Malfoy taunted. "Or will you be leaning on the mudblood this time?"

Carina seethed silently, forcing herself not to respond. What right did that little scumbag have to talk about Uncle Keith and Hermione like he was better than them! It was insane!

"Or maybe you'll find a guy desperate enough to date _you_," Parkinson sneered from Malfoy's side.

Carina mentally counted to ten, but her control broke when Malfoy replied to Parkinson, "Please, Pansy, no one is _that_ desperate! Not even Longbottom!"

She could see that Neville Longbottom was reddening in embarrassment at the Gryffindor table, and tried to decide how to react. "Oh, don't worry, Draco, I'm sure that there's someone who might be desperate enough to give you a pity date," she said sweetly. "For instance, maybe the two bit whore following you around like a lost dog?"

Malfoy and Parkinson both looked outraged, while most the people within hearing distance were muffling laughter or looking excited.

Draco regained his cool quickly, "You'd really do that for me?"

Carina looked at him in disgust. "First of all, I don't do incest, _Cousin_. Second of all, I was referring to pug-face Parkinson. And third of all… even if we weren't cousins and I _was_ a cheap whore, it'd take a WHOLE lot more than two knuts for me to be willing to even _look_ at you."

Malfoy looked even more outraged, and Carina inwardly danced at the victory.

"Miss Black, Mister Malfoy, is there a problem here?"

_Damn it, Remus, I was enjoying that!_ "Not at all, Professor," she said in a sweet tone that was a LOT different than the one she'd used on Draco moments before. In fact, if Remus hadn't known her well, he'd probably have believed her.

"Right, C – Miss Black," Remus said skeptically.

Carina interrupted, "Everyone knows that you know me, there really isn't a point in hiding it."

"I'm trying to be impartial," Remus said dryly.

"You're her 'uncle', that isn't going to happen," Draco said in disgust.

"If he's my uncle, and I'm your cousin, there's a 50/50 chance that he's _your_ uncle as well," Carina retorted, and almost laughed at Draco's pale face managing to pale even more. It would be worth the lecture she would get for that comment later just because of that expression.

"All right, stop where you are, all of you," Remus said sternly, and Carina nearly groaned. She had hoped they'd manage to make him forget about whatever he had overheard. "Ten points from Slytherin, twenty from Ravenclaw, Miss Black, if I hear you talking like that again, it won't just be point loss."

Carina glowered at him.

"I believe you've all got classes to get to." Remus said pointedly.

"How in Salazar's name did he hear what we were talking about when he was still on the other side of the room?" Malfoy asked in his obnoxious drawl.

"Malfoy, use your head, you imbecile," Carina said tiredly, walking away. "I'm sure your death eater father has mentioned it once or twice."

Malfoy's face purpled with rage, and she felt Hermione wince from behind her. Carina had a felling she knew why, and it was confirmed by Remus saying, "Miss Black, I do believe we need to have a discussion."

"I hate my life," she mumbled in disgust, reluctantly following Remus to his office. They entered and he shut the door and looked at her evenly. "Is there a reason you're in such a despicable mood?"

"Hundreds," she retorted bitterly.

"I'm quite sure they don't explain you calling a classmate – what was it? A two-bit whore? Or deliberately baiting someone who you knew would respond… or even –"

"I. Don't. Care." Carina said with controlled anger. "I was not going to sit around and watch that smug blonde bastard taunt me, he started it, so why am I the one you're lecturing?"

"Sit down, Carina," Remus said sharply, and Carina realized with a start that during her mini-rant she'd stood up. With a disgusted look at Remus, she sat back down. "Because even if his comments were low, they were directed at you, not at one of your friends who hadn't said anything. You are also the one who refused to let it drop when it should have."

Carina crossed her arms and scowled.

"_What_ is wrong with you?" Remus asked in exasperation.

"The fact that males exist," Carina replied in a growl. "And that all teenage boys are IDIOTS! Why in Merlin's name can they not just let it DROP!? Stephen and Terry, who have been my semi-friends since first year, are treating me like I'm some kind of goddess, and Ryan and Andrew are treating me like I'm made of glass! Malfoy is even worse this year than he's been in the last two years, and I don't even want to KNOW what Weasley is up to now!"

Remus blinked, and then bit his lip, and Carina could tell he wanted to laugh.

"Did you ever notice that you and 'Weasley' have the same enemies?" Remus asked in a FAR too innocent tone for Carina's liking.

"Anyone with an ounce of logic knows Malfoy is an arrogant, sexist, self-centered, obnoxious pig with no regard for anyone but himself. It's not hard to be his enemy."

"You're both friends with Ryan and Andrew."

"Ryan and Andrew are my cousins," Carina countered, wondering where Remus was going with this.

"So is Mr. Malfoy," Remus countered.

"Do you have a point?!" Carina asked exasperatedly.

"Nothing, nothing," he said innocently. "You just reminded me of another red-head I once knew."

Carina's eyes narrowed, and she thought through the stories she'd heard of her parents time at Hogwarts… "Oh, eww, Uncle Remus! That is so wrong!"

He chuckled. "Sorry, but you did sound a lot like her."

"Well, I'm sure that the lot of you deserved it," Carina shot back dryly. "You do know that I'm missing Arithmancy, right?"

Remus winced. "Right, about that…" he looked unaccountably nervous.

"What?" she asked anxiously.

"…you have Arithmancy with Gryffindors," he said with a small wince.

"So?" Carina asked. "It's not like Weasley has the brains to – oh, please to Merlin tell me that you're joking!" Carina switched tracks in mid-sentence at the look on Remus' face.

Remus shook his head. "Sorry."

"Why in the hell would he do that!?" Carina asked in horror. "The boy barely ever picks up a book, and only ever does it grudgingly! I would have thought he'd be doing the bare minimum with the easiest classes: Divination and Muggle Studies."

Remus shook his head again, "Sorry, 'Rina, he's taking Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy, and Muggles studies – you were only right on one."

Carina groaned. "If someone up there thinks this is funny, they have a twisted sense of humor," she said, looking up as if directing her comment towards the heavens.

Remus scribbled out a note and handed it to her. "Give that to Professor Vector, and hope that there's no open seats by Mister Weasley."

Carina glowered at him and grabbed the note, shaking her head in amusement at Remus' antics. He didn't honestly think she'd end up with Weasley, did he?


	4. Better Off Not Knowing

Chapter Four: Carina Does Not Like Boggarts 

**September 10****th**** 1993**

Carina could safely say that she was not looking forward to defense class. She had heard the rumors of the Gryff/Slyth class, and while the idea of Professor Snape dressed in Augusta Longbottom's clothes was decidedly amusing, today did not feel like a good face-your-fears day.

But that might have been because of the disturbance in the second year girls dorm last night. There were some negatives to it just being the four of them, after all. They were the closest out of anyone to the second years, and while Carina could admit that she had a bad habit of being a bit rude when she was upset or annoyed, she would never had said some of the things being shot between the second years.

There were six second years, not enough to merit a second dorm, but enough that it was a bit of a squeeze to fit everyone in. Unfortunately, five of them did not get along with the sixth. The sixth, from what Carina had seen, had never done anything to the other girls, they just treated her like she was insane… which she might have been, but still! So they'd had an exhausting night getting the five to calm down and then comforting the sixth and letting her sleep in their dorm. She had meeting with Professor Flitwick later to discuss what to do about the situation, and she was dreading it.

All Carina had wanted to do upon waking up was go back to bed, but instead she'd been forced to suffer through potions. …_Arrogant, just like your father_…_no regard for the safety of others_…_your fathers disregard for rules…spawn of Satan, I mean, Black_… She shook her head to push away Snape's insults. It was a good thing she was willing to study outside of class, because if she wasn't, the only thing she ever have learned in potions class were ways to insult people without crossing the line that teachers aren't supposed to cross.

Although, Carina thought Snape had crossed it when he'd taken points for smiling, for looking like her father, and for breathing.

Carina really didn't look _that_ much like her Dad. She had her Mum's red hair, and her eyes were a mix of both gray and green. But, she supposed that other than that, she didn't look much like her Mum, either, so maybe she did look like her Dad.

But that was not the point, the point was that she really did not want to face that Boggart, which she was going to have to face in a matter of minutes, considering that half the class had already done so.

With a numb yet anxious, feeling in her stomach, that she moved towards the Boggart, which slowly changed from Susan Bones' basilisk eyes to James Potter. This perplexed her until the Boggart began to talk. "I hate you! All you've ever done from the start is bring trouble into my life! You should just go back to your aunt and uncle, you deserved the way they treated you! You should have stayed in the muggle world and done us all a lot of good!" the Boggart roared, and Carina found herself backing away, shaking her head, her wand dropping from her grasp, and tears welling up in her eyes.

It was only vaguely in the back of her mind that she registered Remus dismissing the rest of the class, and the classes surprised murmurs. She felt his arm on her shoulder and looked at him, he had a worried expression, but she couldn't care, it didn't really register.

Sure, she knew it was a Boggart, it hadn't been real, but it had seem _so_ real, and what would she do if that ever happened… before she knew it, she was being led into Remus' office, and Remus was throwing Floo powder in the fire, "Potter Manor, Prongs' Study!"

"James? Can you Floo over here for a minute?"

Carina ignored the rest of the conversation, sitting on a chair and curling up, laying her head down on her knees. Awhile later, she wasn't sure how long it had been, she felt strong arms wrap around her and pick her up, but she didn't acknowledge it until James sat back down, this time holding her.

"I would never, _ever_ say those things," he whispered fiercely in her ear.

Carina nodded, a muffled sob caught in her throat. He rubbed her back in a comforting circular motion, and that was all it took for her to lose control: the anger, the stress, all the things that had been building up for ages all spilled out in a flood of tears. Vaguely, she wondered how it was that she'd rarely ever cried before coming to the magical world, and now it seemed like she never stopped…

"I will never leave you as long as it's in my power to stay," he vowed. "No one, least of all you, deserves to be treated the way your so-called aunt and uncle treated you."

She nodded, wanting to voice how much she appreciated him, wanting to hell him that she couldn't imagine what her life would be like if she hadn't moved in with him, wanting to tell him that he was the best godfather a girl could dream of, but unable to find any of the words. "Thank you," she finally choked out, unable to think of anything more profound.

It got the message across well enough. "There is nothing to thank me for, all I did was tell you the truth: that Boggart was crap. I will never, ever leave you, and I most certainly won't ever let you go back to the Dursley's."

She gave him a half smile and said dryly, "I don't think I like Boggarts."

"I would think you were nutters if you did," James grinned back. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Earlier, a week ago, heck, a few hours ago, I would have said yes but not meant it," Carina said softly. "Now, I can say yes and mean it."

James raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure, I think I just needed to cry," she shrugged sheepishly. "Nothing seems as big of a deal as it did yesterday. Who cares if Draco Malfoy is a arrogant bigot, I certainly can't change him."

"…I think I'm scared," James said after a moment. "Please don't slap me."

Carina blinked and then rolled her eyes. "Ha, ha, James. I'm not going to slap you. But I am going to try once again to get you to let me go to Hogsmeade. _Please_?" she asked with a pleading expression.

James sighed. "I'm sorry, 'Rina, but no. It's just not safe."

Carina sighed. "I had a feeling you would say that, but I had to try."

"I really am sorry."

"It's not you, it's Pettigrew, but he can't be loose forever," she growled. "I swear by Merlin if he's not caught by the start of next school year, I'll find a way to do it myself!"

James' eyes narrowed.

"Okay, so I wont," she caved. "But it was a nice thought."

James did not look amused. "I don't think so, but that's just me. The idea of my goddaughter risking her life just for a Hogsmeade visit doesn't exactly please me."

Carina rolled her eyes. "What time is it, anyway?"

"Almost five, why?" James replied.

"I have to meet Professor Flitwick," Carina said, wishing more and more that she could just go to bed and sleep peacefully for uninterrupted hours… oh how nice it sounded.

"Why?"

"Because five of the second year girls are bitchy, and they are all bullying the sixth. There was dramatics and tears and yelling and finally we took girl #6 into our dorm and comforted her so we could get a few hours of sleep. Obviously, having five girls in a dorm with one girl they all dislike isn't a good, or safe, idea, so we have to figure out what to do inside," Carina explained tiredly. "Hopefully it won't take long and I can just go back to bed!"

"Shouldn't the prefects deal with that?" James asked in confusion.

"No, the people involved in the situation should deal with it," Carina corrected. "There weren't any prefects involved, because the evil witches all cast silencing charms."

James snorted in amusement. "Right, 'Rina. Have fun at your meeting."

He ruffled her hair and she gave him a mock-annoyed look as she left Remus' office. Huh, she hadn't even noticed until now that sometime during that talk, Remus had left.

_CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB_

"Did you get it sorted out?" Hermione asked hopefully, looking almost as tired as Carina felt.

Carina groaned, rolling her neck a bit as a release from the stress. "Yes. Our wonderful dorm is being corrupted by second year Luna Lovegood."

Hermione looked uneasy.

"She's a nice girl," Carina assured her. "She has some different beliefs, but so does everyone else, hers are just more outspoken and unlikely. She's also got a minor _corrupted_ seers gift," Carina added under her breath so only Hermione could hear her.

Hermione gasped in horror, "That poor girl," she breathed.

"Yeah, apparently it was just a normal seers gift until the accident where her mother died," Carina explained softly. "She was seven, and she'd been outside playing, when she'd had a vision of her mothers funeral only a few days from then. She ran back to the house and got there just in time to see her mother die as a result of a spell experiment gone wrong, and her Seers ability has been tainted ever since."

"I can't even imagine…" Hermione whispered, looking down the table where Luna Lovegood was eating along, looking completely un-bothered by it.

Carina nodded her agreement. "The things she believes, they are real, you know. The tainted seers gift doesn't make her insane, it makes her see things that most people either can't handle or can't widen their minds enough to see. In the 'worst case' scenario, she'd be seeing things that don't exist in our dimension, but another, 'best case' scenario, she'll see things that exist here and aren't generally believed in. And her roommates have been stealing her things, trashing her notes, and they've started calling her Lunatic! That's barbaric, I thought we Ravens were supposed to be intelligent!"

Hermione nodded her agreement, and Carina cursed. "Damn it, I was supposed to talk to Myrtle!"

With a grin, Hermione said, "You'd best get to the Room, then. Don't want her to think you've forgotten her!"

Carina rolled her eyes as she walked away.


	5. Up To No Good

Chapter Five: Carina Swears She's Up To No Good 

Before the Hogsmeade weekend had come, it had been easy to believe that she could tough it out – after all, she could always hang out with Ginny. Upon it's arrival, though, she just wished she could go with her other friends.

The one thing that stopped her from trying to sneak out was the date. Nothing too horrible had happened on any recent Halloween, but twelve years ago to the day, her parents had been murdered, and she had been hailed a hero for something she had nothing to do with. It just didn't seem like a good idea to do something that might get her killed on the anniversary of her parents' deaths. …actually, it seemed like it would be horrible, but that wasn't the point.

But by the second Hogsmeade weekend, her resolve had weakened, and she wanted _so_ badly to be out there hanging out with her friends. Damn Pettigrew! She thought miserably, muttering under her breath about overprotective godfathers. So what if he had every reason to be protective, she wanted the hell out of this castle!

Just when she was about to force herself to go back up to the common room, she was attacked by Weasley's again.

This thought successfully reminded her of Ron's stalker-ish behavior, and made her shudder. But this was the twins, one of them holding each of her hands and dragging her towards and empty classroom. "What do you two twits want?" she asked tiredly.

"Well – we heard – about your – overprotective godfather – and we thought – that we could – help you out – a bit," they said, switching every few words. What a headache…

"What kind of help?" she asked warily.

"Sneaking to Hogsmeade help," the one she thought was Fred said smugly.

Every ounce of logic she had told her not to go, but she wanted to so badly, and curiosity and eagerness quickly won over logic. "How?"

They presented a piece of paper, and one of them muttered, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

It was all Carina could do to hide her shock. She knew what that was, she knew _exactly_ what it was, and she couldn't believe it was really right there, only two feet in front of her. This was the stuff of Marauders legends, something that had been so wrapped into most of their adventures-pranks that you couldn't hear about them without mentioning this… they had the Marauder's map. All of the sudden, she didn't hate the Weasley twits so much.

"Please?" she asked hopefully. "D'you know that I'm Padfoot's daughter?" _And that if Prongs finds out I'm doing this, I'm going to be in so much trouble, but I want out of this place so badly I can't bring myself to care?_

They looked shocked, so she figured they hadn't known.

"Well then, Miss Black," the one she thought was George said gallantly. "We shall place this treasure back in it's rightful hands. Do use it well, young Marauder." He advised her as he left.

"And don't forget to clear it, though I'm sure you know how," Fred added as he followed his twin out of the room.

Carina looked at the map with a grin and knew exactly how she was going to spend her day.

CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB 

"Ryan! Andrew!" she hissed, tapping them on the shoulders and grinning when they turned to her.

"'Rina!" they said in hushed voices. "How did you get here? I heard that they had special lookouts to make sure no one who wasn't supposed to be out of the castle got outside of it!"

"They didn't look in the right places," she shrugged, and apparently her grin was infectious.

This day was looking to be a good one, which was welcome in Carina's opinion. Life lately had been bad exactly, but it had been downright boring, and that drove her crazy.

"So where are the best places to go?" she asked happily.

"Zonko's!" her twin cousins exclaimed in unison, and she let them drag her along with them to the joke shop, if only because she could use it to make them come with her to look at books later.

Once in the joke shop, Carina decided that she really, really did NOT want to be on the bad side of whoever invented some of those things. There were things in there that were downright cruel! Okay, so most of them were amusing, but a lot of them weren't. Something that causes physical harm just doesn't seem like a prank, Carina decided.

Leaving the joke shop, Ryan turned to her and asked, "Why didn't you go see Ella and 'Rea? I mean, they are your best friends aside from Hermione and Ginny."

"Can you see the three of them approving of the fact that I'm out here in Hogsmeade when Peter Pettigrew is out for my blood?" she asked dryly. "I'm keeping myself surrounded and in public areas, there really isn't a danger."

"If you say so," Ryan said, but he didn't look convinced.

"Calm down, Ryan, I'm not going to get hurt," Carina assured him.

"I was more worried about you getting _caught_," Ryan retorted sharply.

Carina stared at him in surprise.

"Do you _really_ want to deal with your godfather when and if he finds out that you went against your word and snuck out to Hogsmeade when the person who tore apart both his and your lives wants nothing more than to _end_ them?" Ryan said sharply.

"Not really," Carina admitted, "But that's why I'm not going to get caught."

"Famous last words," Andrew mumbled with a horrified expression.

"Oh, do shut up, boys! Can we just do something fun for the rest of the day?" Carina asked in exasperation and annoyance.

"Fine, but it's on _your_ head," Ryan told her seriously.

"You think?" she shot back sarcastically.


	6. Intelligence Or The Lack Thereof

_((A/N: I seem to have forgotten this, but I don't own Harry Potter. There are quite a few semi-direct quotes from PoA throughout this, though. I don't own them, either.))_

Chapter Six: Carina Thinks Her Godfather Is An Idiot

Christmas 1993

Carina stared at the broom in her hands in numb disbelief. "Hermione?" she asked weakly.

"Yeah, 'Rina?" she responded, setting down a half-unwrapped present of her own.

"Please tell me that this isn't what I think it is and that my godfather hasn't descended to a whole new level of stupidity," she begged her friend.

Hermione looked at it and her eyes about bulged out of her head. "He bought the best broom available for a girl who despises Quidditch!?"

"Well, I like to fly, I just don't like Quidditch," Carina said defensively. "But yes, he did. The most expensive broom he could have found, never mind that I already have a Nimbus '01 from my twelfth birthday…"

"That's insane!" Hermione mumbled. "Maybe he bought in the hopes that you'd let him use it," she offered.

"Yeah, right," Carina said sarcastically. "He'd have bought his own if he wanted it so badly, Hermione, he's not _that_ stupid… I hope," she added at the end, causing Hermione to grin. "Oh," she said in surprise. "That wasn't his only present… Merlin, that man is going to bankrupt himself…" she mumbled, ignoring Hermione's snicker.

Her eyes widened as she opened the other present and she grinned, "We were wrong, he really is that stupid."

Hermione blinked. "Oh?"

"He gave me his invisibility cloak!" she said happily.

"You're right, he is stupid," Hermione said flatly.

Carina looked at her in mock outrage.

"You know as well as I do that as much as you love to read and learn, you also love to be outside, or even just socialize," Hermione said dryly. "I don't even want to think about what you're going to get up to with that cloak!" CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB 

By the time the next Hogsmeade weekend came around, in mid-February, Carina was once again going stir crazy. Maybe it was the result of living in a storage cupboard for ten years, but any amount of time where she was constantly confined to the same place drove her nutters!

But having endured disapproving looks from Hermione every time she looked wistfully at the cloak, and warning looks from Ryan and Andrew who didn't want her to put herself in danger, she knew that if she did sneak out again, she couldn't hang out with any of them.

…still, it would be nice to get out. And it wasn't likely she'd get caught if _no one_ knew that she was out there, was it?

CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB 

Carina watched in minor irritation as Malfoy mocked Hermione, Ella, and 'Rea, knowing that she couldn't interfere and wishing she could.

Merlin, but that boy made her want to scream! What on _earth_ made him think he was better than anyone, when he was scum?!

_That would be his fathers over inflated death eater ego_, she thought cynically. One more comment, though, and she wasn't sure she could hold her temper. That, however, did not mean that she had to reveal herself.

Learning those spells for snowball fights hadn't been so useless after all, Carina thought with a grin as she realized they worked just as well on mud as they did in snow.

Sure enough, Malfoy opened his mouth and yet another insult was shot. Carina grinned under her cloak and released the timing charm, finding it hard to stifle her laughter as Malfoy tried to figure out where they were coming from – they were charmed to come from multiple directions, and Malfoy looked like he was (badly) attempting to dance in his attempts to dodge the mud balls.

As one of her mud balls landed directly on top of his bleach-blonde head, Carina decided it was time to leave before she gave herself away by laughing.

A few feet away from being sure she was in the clear, she heard Malfoy hiss, "Black!" and Hermione moan, "Carina!"

_Oh shit_, Carina thought pulling the cloak back over her head and trying to figure out how she was going to get out of this. Malfoy was running back towards Hogwarts, and Carina knew she had to be there before he was, or she'd be in so much trouble…

Stepping out of the secret passageway, the first thing she saw, rather than an empty corridor, was one extremely menacing potions 'professor.'

Carina gulped.

"My office, Black," he snarled.

It was only her desire _not_ to get expelled that stopped her from retorting rudely. This was how the git had been from day one, hating her because he'd been schoolboy enemies with her father. How utterly pathetic… actually, it was kind of sad that a thirty-three or four year old man was still holding a grudge about something that had ended fifteen years ago.

"Mr. Malfoy has told me the most fascinating story," Snape said in his same hate-filled tone. "Would you care to explain what your head and feet were doing in Hogsmeade when _none_ of you is allowed to be in Hogsmeade?"

"What did Malfoy say?" Carina asked innocently, glad one hundred times over that there was nothing incriminating other than the map in her pockets. "Is he okay, was he hallucinating?"

"Drop the act, Miss Black," Snape said acidly. "Mr. Malfoy was not hallucinating and you and I both know it. Turn out your pockets."

Carina did so, fighting the urge to smirk and say, _prove it_, in a taunting voice, but she quelled it with the thought that she really did not want to get in trouble right now.

"Don't you smirk at me, girl."

Oops, apparently she hadn't managed to fight that off entirely.

Snape looked scornfully hateful. "You are just like your father, Black. Arrogant and sure that you are better than everyone else, that you know better… both of you with no regard for school rules, rules are for mortals, not Black's, isn't that so?"

"My father probably did act like that, I'll grant you that one, but I know that I'm not better than 'everyone else'," she said irritably.

Snape looked at the map with a glint in his eyes. "Professor Severus Snape, master of this school, commands you to yield the information you conceal," he snarled, hitting the map with his wand.

Carina nearly groaned. This was going to be _bad_. Damn them for thinking it would be a good idea to make it insult anyone who tried to force it open…

_Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business. _

It was all Carina could do not to burst out into laughter. Damn, Remus was good at insults, and it certainly looked like it had affected Snape!

_Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony and would like to add that Professor Snape is an ugly git_.

Now it was even worse. She could just picture James calling Snape an ugly git, and it was a decidedly entertaining scene.

_Mr. Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a professor._

_Oh, Dad,_ Carina thought mirthfully, _I completely agree_.

But the map wasn't done yet: _Mr. Wormtail bids Professor Snape good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the slimeball_.

Even coming from Wormtail, Carina reluctantly admitted that she liked the phrasing. What she didn't like, however, was the mutinous expression on Snape's face.

She liked it even less when he said, "We'll see about this," and threw Floo powder down into his fireplace, shouting, "Lupin! I want a word!"

Carina nearly bashed her head into a wall. She should have known better than to think she'd get out of this situation, of course the git was going to tell Remus, who would be sure to tell James, who be very upset with her…

"You called, Severus?"

Carina nearly recoiled in shock upon realizing that, yes, Remus actually sounded angry. Apparently his anger control had slipped for the first time in god only knows how long, even if he didn't look as angry as he sounded. "I certainly did," Snape replied. "I have just asked Black to empty her pockets. She was carrying this."

Remus' eyes narrowed for a millisecond before his face relaxed to it's previous expression. "And?" Remus asked as if it were nothing.

"Well, this parchment is plainly full of dark magic, where – "

"Full of dark magic? Severus, it looks to me like it's a joke product meant to insult anyone who reads it. Childish, yes, but dark magic? I highly doubt it. One of her friends likely picked it up at Zonko's for her."

"You don't suspect she might have gotten it directly from the manufacturers?" Snape hissed dangerously.

Okay, if it hadn't been clear before that she was in a lot of trouble, it definitely was now.

"By Mr. Wormtail or one of these people? Carina, do you know any of these people?"

There was a note in Remus' voice that told her how to answer that question even if she hadn't already known, so she shook her head, a bit on the frantic side.

"You see, Severus? A Zonko's product, is all."

Just when Carina was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Remus spoke again. "Carina, I need a word about my vampire essay."

_Oh sweet mother of Merlin, I'm dead, Carina thought miserably, following Remus out of Snape's office and towards Remus' own. _


	7. Lectures And Wishes

**Chapter Seven: Carina Wishes Remus Wasn't Right**

"Sit down," Remus said sharply upon entering his office, which Carina did without question, more because she'd never seen Remus look so angry at _anyone_, let alone her, than anything else.

Remus followed up his comment by walking out of the room, leaving behind one very confused Carina Black. It was ten minutes before he came back, this time followed by a confused looking James Potter, and Carina's heart sank. _Oh, please don't make me explain this to him_… "Carina, I'd suggest you start talking, _now_. Maybe begin with how it is that map landed in your hands, and somewhere in there, will you let us know what the HELL you were thinking sneaking out like that!?"

Okay, Remus Angry Scary. "I – " she started, and then stopped. She didn't want to get the twits in trouble over this, even if she didn't like them.

"The truth, the _whole_ truth, and nothing _but_ the truth," Remus said, almost as if reading her mind.

"Fred and George gave it to me," she muttered. "They were just going to show it to me, probably so that I'd note the secret passages or something, but I recognized it and – " Carina cut herself off again, and then, "Itoldthemiwaspadfootsdaughtersotheydgiveittome," she said in one breath.

Remus' eyes narrowed, James just looked a bit confused. "Can you say that again? Preferably in English?"

"I told them I was Padfoot's daughter so that they'd give me the map," she whispered guiltily.

Why was it upsetting her now, when she'd been nothing but excited at the time? Both visits to Hogsmeade, there hadn't been any guilt or worry, and now here it was piling up. But, she knew without thinking for long, that the reason she felt guilty now was that she was letting herself think about the full ramifications, about what she'd been risking, and about… her dad had sacrificed his life to protect her, and she had taken advantage of his name to do something that could easily have gotten her killed.

If Remus had been scary before, Carina thought with a shudder, James was now about fifteen times more scary than that. But the angry look was quickly replaced with a blank expression, and in just as empty a voice, he said, "I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt and let you explain this before I react. I'd suggest you hurry on your explanation."

Carina bit her lip. "I was going stir crazy in here, I wanted to get out, the opportunity presented itself and I took advantage of it. I'd planned not to go back, just to go the once in December, but…" she faded off, unsure of herself. "You sent the invisibility cloak and I was so _frustrated_, and MERLIN, I wanted to get out of this place, I wasn't even going to say anything to anyone, but Malfoy was insulting Hermione, Ella, and 'Rea, and I lost my temper, and when I was trying to get away the cloak slipped and Malfoy ran off to told Professor Snape."

Right, Carina realized once she managed to make herself shut up, that had not been the best way to explain all of it.

"Where is the cloak now?" James asked evenly.

_How do they do that_? Carina wondered_, How do they always keep calm even when it's obvious that they're furious_?

"Behind the statue of the one-eyed witch," she answered him quietly.

"You know," he said softly, "I seem to remember you promising that you would be careful this year."

"…I was careful, I didn't even – " Carina cut herself off and said reluctantly, "All right, you have a point there. I'm sorry. I fully intended to keep the promise at the time, I didn't expect that Hogwarts could honestly be so _boring_…"

James held up a hand. "Stop." He said evenly.

"Wha'?" Carina asked in confusion.

"Anything you say right now is likely to make me more angry than I already am, and believe me when I say that you **do not** want that," James told her, still not sounding the slightest bit angry.

Carina really hated that. For all she knew, he could be laughing at this (she really doubted it, though) because he was showing absolutely NO emotion. She was beginning to wonder if someone had given him a calming potion before bringing him here.

"You – " James shook his head. "I can't believe you actually did this. I can't believe you truly did something so utterly stupid, that went directly against a promise you made, several rules, and could have gotten you killed. What – never mind, I don't want to know what you were thinking. And you obviously don't have a logical explanation. I need –" James cut himself off. "Remus, will you please make sure that my goddaughter is still here when I get back? I need to control my temper."

Carina was caught between guilt and fear. He hadn't even looked at her. Sure, she knew he'd said he'd never do what that Boggart had said, but then, she hadn't just done something so stupid at that point, either, had she?

She barely even noticed when James left, or that Remus was marking essays, she was too busy lost in her own thoughts. Yes, she'd wanted out of the castle, but Merlin, she could have gone home for Christmas if she was that desperate! Who was she kidding, and what was the real reason she'd wanted to sneak out so badly, because that seemed to be eluding her.

"I don't know why," she said softly, and Remus looked up at her.

"You don't know why what?" he asked quietly, putting his quill down.

"Why I wanted to sneak out so badly. There was no reason, not really, if I'd just wanted away from the castle I could have gone home for Christmas, but I can't figure out why it was that I wanted to do it if that isn't the reason!" Carina ranted in frustration. What was _wrong_ with her? She should have just stayed inside, books had entertained her well enough for ten years, why would they stop _now_? And Merlin, a castle compared to a cupboard: she should have been in heaven here! "What is _wrong_ with me?" she groaned.

Remus looked at her thoughtfully. "Well, you know the reasons that aren't possible, so look at the ones that _are_ possible." He pointed out.

"What do _you_ think?" she asked, looking at him hopefully.

"I think that you must have taken leave of your senses, because the Carina Black I've gotten to know over the last few years would never have done something so idiotic." Remus answered honestly.

"That was so helpful," Carina muttered sarcastically. "I mean, for Merlin's sake, Remus, I've been telling myself that I just needed some space, I wanted to get out of the castle, but I spent the vast majority of ten years living in a cupboard with books as my only company! It wasn't ever a problem them, and I honestly don't think it is now! Where is logic when I need it?!"

"Apparently, you lost it sometime around Christmas," Remus answered shortly. "Finding it again would likely be very helpful for you, so I suggest you try."

Carina sighed and silence once again fell over Remus' office.

Carina was beginning to think that the boys had a point: girls were impossible to understand, herself included. She could not figure out for the life of her what her real reasons were. She knew what she'd told herself, but she also knew that she didn't believe it.

This was all Pettigrew's fault, anyway, she thought grumpily, and it hit her like an anvil.

She buried her head in her hands and shook it.

"What is it, Carina?"

"I'm even more stupid than I thought I was," she said bleakly. "I mean, it'd be kind of logical to just want out of the castle when most of my friends are getting to do so every few months, but for such a pathetic, insane, risky, idea as that…"

"You figured it out?" Remus asked, once again putting his quill down.

Carina nodded miserably, but before she could explain, James entered the office again.

Apparently the last hour had helped him calm down, because he just seemed less angry, even though he still looked more or less the same as he had when he'd left. "What did our dear Carina figure out?" he asked Remus.

"The real reason she went to Hogsmeade," Remus answered before she could. "Because, as she realized, her previous reason was so flimsy it barely even fooled _her_."

Carina flinched. "Not like this one is much better," she mumbled in self-disgust. This once again drew their attention back to her, and she shifted uncomfortably. "I was hoping that he'd come after me."

You could have heard a feather hit the floor, it was so silent, until James asked, "WHAT?!"

"I was hoping that he'd come after me, so that I could capture him, get revenge and prove that I'm not helpless," she whispered, refusing to look at either of them. "And here you thought just wanting to get out of the castle was bad," she said with self-hatred evident in her tone.

"You put yourself in danger… because you _wanted_ to be in danger?"

"Kind of," she said uneasily. When it was put like that, it sounded even worse than it had before.

"Sweet Merlin, Carina, why would you want that?" James asked, running his hands through his annoyingly messy hair.

Carina bit her lip, thinking, before she answered, "There are so many reasons, and none of them hold an ounce of logic or reason."

James looked frustrated.

"I'm sorry."

"And that makes this situation _so_ much better," James said dryly. "Two years ago, you had the excuse of not being used to someone caring whether you lived or died, were in trouble or not. By this point, I'm sure that you are used to it. Merlin, do you know what it would do to me if you died, 'Rina?" he asked softly.

Carina nearly flinched at the tone of his voice, but managed not to – barely. She just shrugged in response.

"Your Saturday's for the rest of this school year will be spent in detention with Remus," James told her in one of those don't-argue-with-me tones.

"'Kay," she murmured.

James crouched down in front of the chair she was sitting on and looked at her seriously, "'Rina, I don't want to lose you, and you were being foolish and putting yourself in danger. I cannot accept that – I refuse to. Please don't put yourself in anymore danger, 'Rina. Pettigrew isn't worth it, you're worth hundreds of him, and he isn't worth your time. He is evil and cowardly, but he WILL be caught, I promise you that."

Carina nodded in response.

"I'm going to go back home now," James said quietly. "I would ask you to promise me that you'll stay safe, but I already know that doesn't mean much, does it?" he asked humorlessly.

Carina desperately wanted her pillow so that she could bury her head in it. Seeing as the pillow she wanted was in her room at home, she settled for burying her head in the cushioned back of her chair.

"Carina?"

"Yea, Remus?" she responded quietly.

"You know that you should probably be getting back to your common room, don't you?"

Carina nodded wordlessly, staring at the ceiling as if it were the most fascinating thing she had ever seen in her life.

"You know, Flower, he had every right to be even more angry than he was."

Carina forced herself to look away from ceiling. "You're right, he did. I was, as usual, being a complete idiot without considering the affects of my actions. Gods, you'd think I was a Gryffindor… no, Remus, I don't doubt that he the right be to be angry with me. You're both right, I was being foolish and taking needless risks. This is just one of those times that I wish you _weren't_ right."

"Wishes aren't going to change it," Remus pointed out. "But it's only an hour 'til curfew, so I'd suggest you hurry up Ravenclaw tower."

"Right," Carina said, standing up and looking around for a second before walking the door, "Bye, Remus," she whispered as she left. She didn't even consider going somewhere other than Ravenclaw tower, right now she just needed to think. And figure out how it was that she'd become so stupid in the last year.

_**CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB**_

_**Monday February 14****th**** 1993**_

"'Rina?"

Carina groaned and waved her hand irritably towards the voice that was trying to wake her up. "G'way," she mumbled.

"Sorry, 'Rina, but you really need to get up," Hermione's voice came apologetically. "Professor Flitwick wants to talk to you, and we have ancient runes in half an hour."

Carina moaned and forced her eyes open. "Do I have to?" she whined.

"Sorry," Hermione said again. "But you do. He said that it was important, so I'd suggest that you hurry, as well."

Carina groaned. "Fine, fine," she mumbled, rolling off of her bed and landing on the dormitory floor with a dull thump.

Five minutes later, Carina was reluctantly decent enough to leave the dorm, and she made her way to her head of houses office, knocking lightly on the door. "Professor Flitwick? It's Carina."

"Come in, Miss Black," the squeaky voice came.

Carina pushed the door open and entered.

"Please, take a seat," Flitwick offered, before getting to the point. "Last year, you remodeled what is often known as the forbidden loo among girls. You have since then taken it up as a place to spend time with your friends away from the common room and classes, and even managed to make it password protected, which I confess to being very proud of."

Flitwick paused, and Carina asked worriedly, "Do I have to put it back the way it was?"

"No, Miss Black," Flitwick assured her. "But we would appreciate it if you and your friends were discreet about your 'room', because I've had several requests for people to have their own. There are quite a few empty rooms in this castle, but many people refuse to believe that you and your friends did the work on your own. I called you here to ask you if you would demonstrate some of your transfiguration and charms skills in front of the group of people who are complaining to me, as proof that you did it on your own."

Carina stared at him in shock. "Umm… I guess…" she said uneasily.

"I'll contact you with the time," he told her. "I believe you have a class to get to."

Carina nodded. Time for ancient runes.


	8. Interlude: My Kid Is Better Than Yours

_**(AN: I don't expect anyone to really like this chapter thing, or, for that matter, the rest of the book, because I keep getting blocked, trying again, getting blocked, over and over again, so I've sat down like six times now to write chapter seven. This was more of a break for humor for me than anything else…plus, I enjoy the mental picture, ******_

_**Interlude: My Kid Is Better Than Your Kid**_

_**March 3****rd**** 1994**_

James stared at the woman in front of him blankly. "Is there a reason you're here?"

"I wasn't aware that it was illegal to enter this forgotten in hole in the ministry," Narcissa Malfoy sniffed disdainfully.

"For people like you, it should be," James muttered under his breath quietly. "What can I do for you, Mrs. Malfoy?"

Narcissa glared at him. "You can control your little beast of a goddaughter!"

James mentally groaned. "…what did she supposedly do?"

"Barbaric muggle fighting," Narcissa spat.

"…do you have a point?" James pressed.

"Yes," Narcissa said primly. "Reign her in or I'll see her expelled."

"On what grounds?" James asked incredulously.

"The protection of the future of the house of Malfoy," Narcissa said, managing to look both stuck-up and like she would like nothing more than to not have to say that.

James barely managed not to burst into laughter. "What did he do to provoke her?"

"What makes you think she was provoked?" Narcissa said angrily.

"Because I know my goddaughter, and it doesn't take much effort to figure your son is a mini copy of his father," James shot back. "Do you have a point, or did you just come here to argue about whether or not your son deserved whatever Carina did to him? Because if you did, the answer is simple, he did."

Narcissa narrowed her eyes. "Whether he deserved it or not is not the point, the point is that my brothers little brat could have caused the end of the Malfoy line!"

"And that would be _such_ a loss," James said sarcastically. "Whatever – I thought you had another son, Dominic or something?"

"How do you know that?" Narcissa hissed dangerously.

"…what are you talking about? Carina told me, she said Elladora and Dorea told her," James answered in confusion. "Why is that a big deal?"

"Because Lucius thinks that he died a few months after Draco started Hogwarts!"

"What?" James asked in surprise, and then his eyes narrowed. "He's a squib?"

Narcissa nodded mutely. "And for all that I agree with my family's beliefs, I couldn't let him kill my son, I couldn't give him up. So we… I set him up with a fake identity in the muggle world, and I take the time to go visit him as often as I can get away. He'll be happier in a world where he fits in than he could ever be here, but I'm too selfish to give him up completely."

James nearly fell over in shock. Narcissa Black-Malfoy looked extremely vulnerable and compassionate at the moment, not something he'd ever expected to see. Hell, it had been a rare thing when she and Sirius still got along, but after they fought? Rare was an understatement.

After a moment, Narcissa straightened back up, and managed to go back to being Mrs. Malfoy, the wife of Lucius Malfoy, stuck-up, pureblood bitch. "Talk to your goddaughter," she said curtly, spinning and leaving the office.

James stared after her in bewilderment. That conversation was beyond odd. It had gone from a my-kid-is-better-than-yours kind of conversation, to a strangely emotional one, and then back to emotionless again. For a tiny, tiny moment, James felt a sliver of sympathy for Lucius Malfoy: mood swings like that _had_ to drive a person insane…

"James!"

James blinked, remembering that he was at work. "Yeah, Arthur?"

"Remus Lupin just Floo'd you, requesting that you come to Hogwarts. He says that it's important and you should hurry," Arthur blurted out. "You have the rest of the day off, since you seem to be needing it."

James grinned and nodded. It was funny, he'd always wanted to be an auror, back before Sirius and Lily had died and he'd been sent to Azkaban without a trial, but after… He honestly hadn't wanted anything to do with the ministry, but he needed something to keep him busy when Carina was at school, which was how he had found himself as Arthur Weasley's assistant. Funny how it seemed it had been the other way around there for a minute…


	9. Catching A Rat With The Help Of A Cat

**Chapter Eight: Carina Has A Minor Adventure**

**March 3****rd**** 1994**

Carina was sitting on the edge of the window of the Ravenclaw girls dorm B, legs swinging over as she wondered if it was possible to go insane from being in a castle for months on end. She doubted it was, but she was boooored!

"'Rina, we have about five minutes until we're supposed to be in potions class," Ella's voice interrupted her musings. "I'm going now, I hope you are as well, but either way, please don't let your bottled up emotions spill out while we're in potions, because I don't want to imagine the amount of points the greasy vindictive bastard would take."

Carina gave a half-hearted smile and turned around, sliding off the ledge. "I'll do my best," she promised, and at Ella's worried look, added, "I might be thinking insults and curses at him, but I don't intend on getting into any more trouble this year. I'm determined, it's going to be calm and quiet for the next three months, and that is all there is to it!"

'Rea groaned, "'Rina, we're doomed! You've cursed it! Now Fate will go out of her way to ensure that there is no calm and quiet for the next _six_ months!"

Ella giggled. "'Rea, stop picking on 'Rina, she has enough to deal with as it is."

"Thanks, Ella," Carina said in a rather dry tone. "Potions, anyone? And where's Hermione?"

"Our little miss 'Mione got her very own detention, so she's getting the details now," 'Rea sniffed proudly. "Our little girl is growing up!"

"_Hermione_ got detention?" Carina asked incredulously. "And it wasn't my fault?! At all?!"

Both Lestrange's nodded their answer.

"Now that's a new one," Carina mumbled, grabbing her bag and leading the way out of the dorm. To potions, for lessons in anger management: you listened to a arse insult you for the better part of two hours and do your best not to lose your temper. "What did she do?" she asked Ella as they slowed to a walk a corridor away from the Potions dungeon.

Ella's lips quirked into a tiny smile. "She told McGonagall to pull her wand out of her arse and realize that her Gryffindors really weren't all that angelic."

"Why?" Carina asked, brows furrowed.

"After you left, Weasley said something rather rude about you, and Hermione told him to shut up, so he told McGonagall that she'd started it, and McGonagall believed him." 'Rea answered. "Isn't that pathetic?! Anyway, so Hermione looked at her, and said, with a completely straight face, _If you would pull your wand out of your arse for two point five seconds, you would realize that your little Gryff's aren't perfect either! Not everything that goes wrong is the fault of someone from another house! _I'm sure she would have gone on, too, but we managed to get her to calm down."

"Go Mia," Carina cheered, abruptly shutting up as they reached the door to the potions classroom.

"Miss Black, Miss Lestrange, Miss Lestrange, you are late," Snape sneered. "Ten points from Ravenclaw from each of you."

_Wow, he wasn't even insulting, this is new_, Carina thought in shock as she sat down and put her bag down beside her.

"I'd have expected it from Black, after all, with what she had for a father, she was born this unintelligent," Snape sneered. "But you, Miss and Miss Lestrange… that was unexpected."

Carina gritted her teeth. Okay, so he had been insulting, he'd just waited for a bit. Now she just had to make this potion and completely, totally ignore Snape, because if she didn't manage it, she was bound to hex Snape, and even if he couldn't teach, he was still technically a Professor. Student hexing Professor? Not a good idea.

_Just concentrate on the potion_, she reminded herself, _the potion, get the potion done and you'll be able to leave_…

"CARINA, DON'T!"

_Oh shit_, Carina thought in horror as the potion turned a violent purple

"Black, you have surpassed all records of explosions with your clumsy attempt at making a simple potion," Snape sneered hatefully. "What are you – don't touch it, you dunderhead! You've caused enough chaos today, now leave!"

Carina stared at him. She'd seen Snape be downright nasty before, (actually, she wasn't sure she'd ever seen him being not-nasty) but this… he looked like a rabid dog, and he was shouting, rather than using his normal menacing whisper.

"GET OUT!"

That was all it took, Carina grabbed her book and fled the classroom. Upon reaching a place where she felt there was enough distance between her and Snape, she leaned against the wall and tried to regain her breath.

"Carina, d'you need help with your bag?" a voice asked shyly.

It took all of Carina's willpower not to snap. If she hadn't needed help carrying her bag every day for the last nearly-three years, why on earth would she need it now. But then she recognized the voice and felt a blush creep onto her cheeks. "No thank, Terry," she said, hoping she didn't sound as nervous as she was feeling. "I appreciate the thought, though."

He nodded and grinned at her, "Right then, I'll just go…"

Carina nodded, eager for him to go away so that she could figure out what the hell was wrong with her – she couldn't have a crush on Terry, could she!? She barely knew him, he was like a background figure in her life, always there but never acknowledged. Sure, he no longer looked like the scrawny eleven year old she'd first met, but none of her classmates looked the same as they had at the beginning of first year.

…okay, maybe she did have a crush on Terry. But that didn't mean anything had to come of it, she could just drop it and try not to think about it for now.

She felt something brush against her leg for a split second and looked down just in time to see Crookshanks dart after a thin, gray rat.

A rat that was far too familiar for Carina's liking. Without pausing to think, she pulled out her wand and aimed for the rat, praying for a miracle, and said, "Petrificus Totalus."

Crookshanks meowed plaintively, looking at Wormtail with a look of… hunger? Or maybe the cat was intelligent enough to hate Wormtail as much as everyone else did.

"Sorry, Crooks," Carina soothed, patting the cats head. "But I don't think you eating him would be very good – for you, I mean. You'd probably be ill for years trying to get the affects out of you, I mean, it's bad enough to touch him, but to eat him?" she stopped, realizing she was rambling. "Now, Crooks, can you do me a huge favor and go get 'Mione for me?"

Crookshanks meowed pointedly, and nudged Carina towards the rat. Bewildered, Carina walked closer towards Pettigrew, watching her friends cat warily. Crookshanks nudged the rat even closer to her feet, and then turned and made to walk down the corridor.

Shaking her head in a bit of amusement, Carina decided to do what Crookshanks obviously wanted, and go get Remus or someone else instead of waiting for them to come to her. The cat had obviously gained his Mistress' attitude in the time he had been with her. "Uncle Remus?" she called softly. "Are you in here? I need to show you something."

"Come in, Flower," he invited.

Carina entered and slammed the rat down on Remus' desk, hoping viciously that Pettigrew would feel the affects for a long time to come. "Problem solved," she said dryly.

Remus was watching her, and his eyes narrowed. It took a second for Carina to figure out what he was thinking, and groaned, "This was NOT my fault! I was just sitting there, and Crooks comes alone chasing the rat, and I recognized the rat so I petrified it, and Crooks rather insistently pushed me towards your office," she explained.

"Right then," Remus said, looking a lot calmer with that explanation.

Actually, Carina thought, now he didn't look angry, he looked murderous, but this was directed at the rat lying motionless on his desk, not at her. "Much fun as we could have torturing the little traitor until we ran out of ideas and then repeating them all again, it'd probably be best to turn him into the ministry."

Remus looked at her for a moment and then snorted. "I s'pose you want him in pain just as much as I do, don't you? All right, 'Rina, give me a minute, I'll call James, Keith and Dumbledore."

"Wait!" Carina interrupted. "Uncle Keith is back?! Really?!"

Remus nodded. "He just got back yesterday, actually."

Carina grinned.


	10. Wrap Your Head Around It, Asshole

**Chapter Nine: Carina Is Surrounded By Idiots**

"Pettigrew isn't an animagus, he's not registered!"

Carina didn't bother trying to hold her temper. This man was an imbecile at best, and she was far too angry to consider being nice to the man. "For gods sake, _Minister_, if you'd let one of them cast the reversing spell, you'd see that it's obviously Pettigrew! Rat animagus, illegal animagus, wrap your head around it, asshole!"

Carina was reasonably sure that the reason no one even gave her a scolding look over that last comment was that they were all just as irritated with Fudge as she was.

"Pettigrew was never talented enough for that," Fudge stuttered.

"Sodding hell, Fudge!" Carina exclaimed in annoyance. "Just because he was weak and pathetic doesn't mean his friends were! You've got me, Dumbledore, Keith and Remus all telling you that the rat is Pettigrew, what the hell else do you need!?"

"Now, see here, girl," Fudge blustered, but was interrupted by James, who, until this point, been staring at Pettigrew with a savage look in his eyes. "Shut up, Fudge. Do you truly not believe them, Minister?" he asked in a relatively polite tone.

Fudge nodded, "It can't be true – "

"If you don't believe it from them, maybe you'll believe it from me," James growled. "Peter Pettigrew is a rat animagus, he became one in the middle of our third year at Hogwarts, a few months after Sirius Black and I accomplished the transformation," he concluded by transforming into Prongs.

Keith hissed, "James, you weren't supposed to tell him about that!"

Remus closed his eyes and shook his head as if trying to make the situation go away, and Carina mumbled in disgust, "I'm surrounded by idiots."

Remus' eyes snapped open and he told her, "I fully agree."

James transformed back into himself, "Well, Minister? Can we transform the little bastard, then?"

"Y –yes," Fudge stuttered out.

Just who in the hell had made this man Minister of Magic, anyway? What an idiot…

Dumbledore cast the spell, and in an instant, all eyes were focused on the rat-like man petrified on the floor in front of them. Four out of the six people looking at him looked fairly murderous, one of them was only notably furious to those who knew him well, and the last look like his world had just ended.

"Right," Carina interrupted. "You all know now, can I leave? I have a life around here, mostly focusing on a really, really complicated Arithmancy problem that's been driving me crazy all week!"

Everyone turned to look at her, and she sighed. "Never mind, apparently that isn't going to happen," she muttered in annoyance.

"No, you can go, 'Rina," James spoke up, breaking the silence.

"_Thank you_," she said fervently, and looked around the room, hesitated, and then dashed towards Keith, who grunted in surprise as she hugged him, not even pausing to slow down, and thus causing quite the impact.

She let go quickly enough and grinned, "Missed you, Uncle Keith," she told him, and then hugged him again and ran out of the room, grinning as she heard Keith ask James, _what in the name of Merlin is up with Rosie_?

_**CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB**_

_**Day After Catching Pettigrew, Around Lunch, Remus' Office**_

"Hey, 'Rina," James said. "We didn't get the chance to talk earlier, what with Minister Imbecile denying that it was Pettigrew."

"And now we have the chance," Carina said dryly. "Who would've thought."

"So, a little bird told me something about a 'barbaric muggle fight' with Malfoy?" he asked in a slightly teasing voice.

"…how do you know about that?" Carina asked in scared tone. There was no possible way, the only witnesses had been Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson, Hermione, Ella, and 'Rea. None of whom were about to tell, because her friends were good friends, and the others because that would involve admitting that she'd made poor little Draco cry.

"I got a visit at work today," James answered. "You could safely say I was a bit confused when Narcissa Malfoy showed up and told me to --- _control my little beast of a goddaughter_… apparently you risked the future of the house of Malfoy."

Carina couldn't help herself, she burst into laughter at the image. "Damn right I did," she said proudly. "The little twit was asking for it."

"What'd he say?" James asked curiously. He knew most people in his situation wouldn't see it as amusing, but he couldn't help it, it was. And the kid probably _had_ deserved it.

Carina growled. "He called me a cheap mudblood whore would only ever serve the purpose of slaving for purebloods like him. I figure that if the problem is purebloods like him, I should do everything in my power to prevent more from coming around." She stopped and then added, "That, and he just really pissed me off."

James chuckled. "So, you caught Pettigrew."

"…yes, I caught Pettigrew," Carina answered, raising an eyebrow at her godfather. "But you already knew that, so do you have a point?"

"I did," James said, but his eyes widened and he asked, "He called you _what_?"

"A cheap mudblood whore who would only ever serve the purpose of slaving for purebloods like him," Carina quoted, slightly amused that James seemed more angry right now than he had back with Fudge and Pettigrew.

"I'm going to hex him… NO! I'm going to curse him – no, that's not enough, I'm going to beat the living shit out of that, that, that…" James trailed off.

Carina offered helpfully, "Minor?"

"Dead man walking?" he shot back. "What a little twit! How _dare_ he!"

"Uh, James," she said warily. "I _did_ get revenge, you know. And I kinda-sorta started the whole cheap whore thing…"

"How did you start that?" James asked, looking completely confused.

"I told Malfoy earlier this year that there might be someone desperate enough to give him a pity date, and suggested the two-bit whore – Parkinson – following him around like a lost little dog," she admitted sheepishly.

James looked at her incredulously and then burst into laughter.

Carina crossed her arms and glared. "It's not _that_ funny."

"No," he waved it off, still laughing slightly. "I was imagining the look on the little twits face."

"Yeah, he was pretty shocked for a moment," Carina agreed, before frowning. "Too bad it didn't last."

"What did he say after that?"

"'_You'd really do that for me?_'" she mimicked.

"THAT LITTLE BRAT!"

Carina eyed him nervously. "You know, he's a little arse and all, but really, I can deal with him. I think I'd die of shame if I couldn't… and I responded by telling him that I didn't believe in incest, and that even if I did and I was a cheap whore, it'd cost a whole lot more than that for me to be willing to even look at him."

James' lips twitched into a reluctant grin. "Remind me that I never want to get you mad enough at me for you to come up with personalized insults, will you?"

"You never want me to get angry enough with you to come up with personalized insults," Carina repeated dutifully, smirking at James.

James shook his head in amusement. "I s'pose I was practically asking for that one," he conceded.

"…so can I go to Hogsmeade now?" Carina asked, hoping that if she slipped it in out of nowhere he'd say yes without thinking.

James raised an eyebrow. "Not a chance."

_Damn_. "But I –"

"No, Carina," James said evenly. "If the circumstances were different, with Pettigrew being caught, I'd have been all for it. As the case is, you can wait until next year."

Carina scowled but didn't reply.

"Why'd you go and ruin a perfectly good conversation?" James asked her, only half teasingly.

"I was hoping that if I slipped it in out of nowhere, you'd say yes without thinking," she told him sardonically. "Obviously, I underestimated you."

James shook his head in amusement. "You know, sometimes looking at you, it's like seeing Lily reincarnated, and then you go and say something like that and I know without a doubt that your Padfoot's daughter."

Carina smiled slightly. "I was actually thinking about that, I was comparing pictures… I have Mum's hair, and I kind-of-sort-of have her eyes, but I really don't see any other similarities."

"Your love of reading, your temper, and your tendency to get angry without thinking," James reeled off without even pausing to think.

"Gee, thanks, James," Carina said sarcastically. "I appreciate your wonderful opinion of me."

James looked at her, apparently realized she was teasing him, and rolled his eyes. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Trying to get rid of me?" she asked with a grin. "Actually, it's technically still lunch, but I'm trying to find a way to avoid going to Ancient Runes afterwards. I don't know why that can't just pick a time for that class and stick with it, but it changes practically every week! …and I've been putting off these stupid translations for awhile, they're rather simple, but I just don't want to write them all out, it's tedious."

"I'd suggest you go write down the knowledge that you've kept locked up in your mind before your class starts and you end up with detention, or, god forbid, more translations," James told her with a bit of teasing in his tone.

Carina shook her head. "Sorenson would combine them. Can you imagine writing lines in runes?" she asked with a shudder.

"Oh? And how do you know that?" James asked with a smirk.

"Weasley was griping about it," Carina answered carelessly. "Along with everything else that requires a modicum of thought."

"Don't you think you're a bit harsh on him?" James asked her carefully.

"No," she said simply, trying to make it clear that she didn't want to discuss it. He rolled his eyes. "Go do your translations," he said, shaking his head.

"Ta," she said, leaving the office.


	11. Dating Terry Boot

**Chapter Ten: Carina Has A Boyfriend**

_**June 9****th**** 1994, After Last Exams**_

"I'm freeeee!" Carina said cheerfully, throwing her bag on the floor by her bed and twirling around, ignoring the amused looks she was getting from three of her four dorm mates.

"The girl who loves to read, for any reason, education, research, or entertainment, despises tests," Ella said. "Even this year, having seen it twice before, it stuns me."

"They just…" Carina said, trying to explain. "It's the anxiety, I think. The worry, what if I think I know it but I'm really wrong, what if I fail…"

"Carina, I don't think you could fail a test if you tried," Luna interrupted with this completely uncharacteristic remark.

"I don't know," Carina said uneasily. "I'm actually kind of worried, especially about potions. I mean, I know I'm decent at it, but there's sabotage and not to mention Snape's petty grudge."

"Carina, you breezed through those tests like they were a morning paper," Hermione said in exasperation. "I don't think you actually had to stop and consider things ONCE!"

"But that's just it," Carina said worriedly. "What if I remembered wrong, or thought I knew but didn't really know it?"

Ella, 'Rea, and Hermione all shook their heads and moved onto other activities, this was starting to become something of a tradition after exams. Carina would always worry, and her worries were generally unfounded.

A few minutes of silence passed in the Ravenclaw girls dorm B, and then Carina spoke up in a worried tone, "Do any of you know where my history of magic book is?"

"Why?" Ella asked with thinly disguised amusement.

"I'm trying to remember when Yardley Platt killed his first goblin, because I'm _sure_ that I wrote down the wrong answer!" she said, worried. "And if I got it wrong, I at least want to know."

'Rea groaned and pushed herself out of bed, reached under her bed, grabbed something, rolled back onto her bed, stuffed her head in the pillow, and blindly threw what she had picked up – Carina's history of magic book.

"Thank you," Carina said, too nervous to be annoyed at her cousin for borrowing (without asking) and throwing her book. "Oh, no!" she moaned, opening the page.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, surprised that Carina had actually made a mistake on the history test. For some reason that was beyond even her fellow Ravenclaws, Carina loved history, even when Binns was teaching it.

"It was September thirtieth 1482, but I wrote September _first_ 1482!" she moaned.

Ella spoke up, "Hermione?"

"Yes, Ella?"

"Would you do me a favor and slap my cousin for me?" she asked sweetly.

Carina glared at them, stood up, slipped on a pair of flip-flops and left the room, still holding her history book. Entering the common room, it was decidedly satisfying to realize that she was not the only person panicking over exam results. So her dorm mates were really overreacting, she had a right to be worried, and she'd gotten that one wrong! How had she forgotten something so _simple_?!

"Carina?"

Carina squeaked as she heard her name called from somewhere behind her, and then looked around to find out who had been talking to her. "Oh! Hi, Terry," she said, trying not to sound too nervous.

"Worried about exams?"

Carina nodded, "Yes, I'm sure I got one of the questions about Yardley Platt wrong, and I – "

"Whoa," Terry said, holding up a hand. "Calm down, Carina. You won't know how you did until you get the exams back next week. It's better to put off the worry until you know, because you really can't do anything to affect it right now."

"…when did you get so wise, Mr. Boot?" Carina asked, cracking a grin. "I seem to remember that you're good friends with Corner and Cornfoot, no one who spends so much time with them could be that wise!"

Terry grinned sheepishly. "They're my friends, but they can be real gits sometimes. I just saw you sitting over here and you looked like you could use some cheering up."

Carina smiled at him. "Well, I did, and it is appreciated."

"Say, Carina, do you want to go with me to Hogsmeade tomorrow?" Terry blurted out, completely out of the blue, as they'd been sitting in a companionable silence for around fifteen minutes.

_Did he just ask me what I think he just did? Have I just died and gone to heaven?_ "As a matter of want, the answer is yes, as a matter of can, the answer is no."

"Why not? I thought you'd be able to go now that Pettigrew was caught back in March," Terry said, looking confused.

"Well, I kinda snuck out before that, so James won't sign the permission slip until next year," Carina admitted sheepishly.

"If you'd like, I could stay behind, and we could hang out," Terry offered.

Carina bit her lip. "Same answer as before," she said sadly. "Haven't you noticed that I'm gone all day every Saturday?"

"Where do you go, if you can't even go to Hogsmeade?" Terry asked, baffled.

"Detention, with Remus – er, Professor Lupin, that is," Carina answered. "Apparently risking my life just to go to Hogsmeade is a very stupid thing to do. Who would have thought it?"

"Oh," Terry said, looking rather sad.

"We could hang out day after tomorrow," Carina offered, trying not to sound too hopeful. "That way you could still go to Hogsmeade and we could just hang out the next day."

Terry grinned at her. "It's a date."

They both fell silent and flushed with embarrassment.

"Er, right," Carina said awkwardly. "I need to apologize to my friends, I was rather rude to them earlier when I was so stressed out."

"Sunday, then," Terry agreed.

"Sunday," Carina confirmed, fighting the urge to dance with happiness.

_**CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB**_

"Hermione! Ella! 'Rea! Luna!" Carina called.

"Yes?" Hermione asked.

"I'm really sorry I was short with you earlier," she apologized. "But I need the four of you and Ginny in the Room as soon as possible, please!"

"Oooh, what's up?" Ella asked excitedly.

"Just be there, I'm going to go find Ginny!" Carina insisted, turning around and running back out of the dorm, through the common room, and towards Gryffindor tower.

But upon arriving at the portrait blocking Gryffindors common room, Carina ran into a problem: she had no idea what the password was! "Erm," she said to get the portraits attention. The woman, dressed in an obscenely pink and frilly dress. Carina wouldn't have been caught dead in it. "Can you ask someone to come out here? I need to talk to Ginny Weasley."

The portrait looked annoyed, and then her face softened, "You seem familiar."

_Oh sweet mother of Merlin, even portraits recognize me now?!_ "Do I?" she asked weakly.

"Yes, you remind me quite a lot of Lily Evans and Sirius Black," the portrait replied.

"They're my parents," Carina answered with a tiny smile. "Is there anyway you can ask them to send Ginny out here? I really need to talk to her."

"Of course, dear," the portrait said in a slightly giggly tone, and disappeared from the portrait.

Carina sat down and leaned against the wall, passing the time by tapping her fingers on the floor.

"Miss Weasley will be out in a minute," the portrait voiced.

"Thank you, Madam," Carina smiled.

"A charmer, just like your father," the woman smiled, and Carina momentarily felt ill. It was one thing to be compared to her father in the looks or rules departments, but the way that woman had said that… She had enough issues without being told that she was like her Dad in that she could easily get anyone to do anything if she just used the right words and expressions!

"Carina? What's up?"

"We need to go the Room," Carina said urgently. "I need your help, yours and the others."

"Okay then," Ginny said. "Lead the way."

_**CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB**_

"You made us panic like that because you have a date?" 'Rea asked, blinking several times.

"With _Terry Boot_," Carina said, trying to make them see the point. "My first ever date!"

"She's got a point," Ginny piped up. "As her best friends, we should make sure that she looks good, has a good time, and can look back on this day fondly when she's one hundred fifty years old, gray, and wrinkly."

"Oi!" Carina protested.

Ella was practically bouncing on the spot.

"Sometimes I just do not understand how it is that you and 'Rea are twins," Hermione commented in amusement. "Where she's sarcastic almost as much as 'Rina, you're rarely ever sarcastic. Where she doesn't give a damn what she looks like, you're rather into it. You're almost like opposites!"

"I know," 'Rea said. "But at least she's not like Brown, giggly _and_ brainless. She's giggly, but she's got brains."

Carina grinned. "Now that that's cleared up, can we discuss this?! I don't know what to do! What was I thinking, agreeing to this?! I'm not – I don't know anything about this! What do I do?!"

"You have known Terry for almost three years," 'Rea said, irritated. "In that time, he's come to be a sort-of friend. If he didn't like you as you are, he wouldn't have asked you to Hogsmeade, and he wouldn't have agreed to hanging out on Sunday instead."

"Calm down, Dorea," Ella scolded. "Carina, 'Rea has a point, but not entirely. Act like yourself, don't completely overdress, don't put loads of make-up on… but don't look like it's just any other day, either. Don't be giggly, that drives all men crazy, and try to do something fun together. You want this to be fun, then make it fun."

Carina looked at her faintly. "Is it too late to back out?"

"YES!" Ella shouted. "Now, let's plan…"

_**CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB**_

**June 10****th**** 1994**

"Merlin, Carina, what is wrong with you today?" Remus asked in exasperation.

Carina looked up from her book, and removed her quill from her mouth. It had become a bad habit, biting the end of her quills when she was nervous or irritated, just as it had been with pens back at the Dursley's… that had caused problems, big ones. "Nothing," she lied.

"If I had believed that, I would hope that someone did something to make me more intelligent, because you'd have to be downright dumb to fall for that," Remus said dryly.

Apparently people were figuring out that being sarcastic right back to her, or even before she got the chance, would get to her. Damn, that was going to suck! "Nothing you need to know about," Carina corrected with an annoyed expression on her face.

"Why not?"

"Merlin, it's no wonder you were a Gryffindor," Carina said in exasperation. "Do you even know the meaning of the word subtle?"

"Yes, I'm just not very good at it," Remus said, giving a slight shrug. "At least, not when I don't bother to try."

"I'm not going to tell you, so just give it up," she advised, and Remus sighed. "Fine."

Carina turned back to her book, fidgeting uncomfortably, and after a minute, she sighed. "Do you think it's possible for Dora to come to Hogwarts?" she asked nervously.

"Why would – ?" Remus cut himself off. "Tell me you're joking," he pleaded.

"I'm joking?" Carina offered weakly. "What are you talking about?"

"You're dating." Remus said flatly. "You're dating. Carina, you're only thirteen!"

"Almost fourteen, and it's not like I'm going to _marry_ him!" Carina said in exasperation.

"The point of dating is to find the person you end up marrying!" Remus countered.

"If you marry the first person you ever date, you'll know nothing about being a relationship, nothing about how you are when you're in a relationship, nothing about the signs that your partner is upset – nothing. And you'll need to know it. Sure, it's nice to find the one you're going to marry, but getting it on the first try? That's highly unlikely," she shrugged. "At this point, I can't exactly see myself married to _anyone_, let alone some specific. To quote you, I'm only thirteen."

"And you shouldn't be dating!"

Carina sighed. "I am not even going to bother trying to argue this with you. Is it or is it not possible for Dora to come to Hogwarts… before nine a.m. tomorrow?"

"I can Floo James and ask him to Floo her and ask her," Remus offered.

"Fine," Carina said with a sigh.

A few minutes later, Remus came back in, and apologetic look on his face. "I tried to get him to talk to Dora, but he figured out why you wanted to talk to her and insisted on coming himself."

_Shit_. "Wonderful," she mumbled.

"You are not dating," James said, appearing in the doorway.

"Yes I am," she countered.

"No, you aren't," he said simply. "You are far too young – "

Carina narrowed her eyes and interrupted. "Is that how you're going to be about this?" she asked angrily. "Terry has been my friend for almost three years, I'm just getting to know him a little better, if we end up staying together for awhile it'll be kisses and hugs at the most, I'm not ready for more and he wouldn't push me! If you're going to act like this, I'll shag the first person I see just to piss you off!"

James' eyes about bulged out of his head. "Carina," he said in a strangely nervous voice. "I'm not trying to upset you, I just really think you're too young for this, you're not ready, and in all likelihood, he isn't either."

"If it's a mistake, isn't it my right to make it?" Carina asked softly. "Please, James."

"I _really_ don't like this," James said uneasily.

"What the hell will it take for you to be okay with it?!" Carina asked in annoyance.

"Erm, yeah, Flower, about that…" Remus said uncomfortably. "It was James' idea! He made me do it!"

"He made you do what?" Carina asked suspiciously.

"…call Boot back from Hogsmeade," Remus answered.

_I'm going to kill James Achilles Potter. Slowly_, Carina thought to herself furiously. There was a knock at the door and Remus opened it, revealing Terry. Carina looked at him, trying to convey an apology with her eyes.

"So you're Terry Boot," James said in what he probably thought was an intimidating tone. It wasn't to Carina, but by the look on Terry's face, it was to him.

"Yes, sir," Terry answered.

Carina barely managed not to laugh out loud. She had a feeling it was only because he didn't like Terry (because she might be dating him) that he didn't make a repulsed face at being called 'sir.'

"And you're going to be dating my goddaughter," James said in the same tone.

Terry shot her a terrified look and Carina looked at him with a weak smile, and mouthed, "Sorry."

"Yes, sir," Terry answered. "Er, well, that is, if she wants to, I mean," he stammered.

"I do," Carina spoke up for the first time since he'd gotten here. "I'm sorry that these idiots are pestering you, Terry, I was just anxious about tomorrow and it became kind of obvious. Please don't hate me because they're overprotective!"

"I'm not going to hate you over something you have no control over," Terry answered, looking a bit surprised. "I can't believe you would even think that."

James opened his mouth to say something that would no doubt cause Carina to be even more angry with him, but Carina was already talking. "I'm sorry, Terry. It's my first date, I'm just nervous. Least it's with a guy I know isn't an asshole, huh?"

Terry nodded, shooting another terrified look in the direction of James.

"If you're dating her, you treat her right," James ordered.

Terry nodded almost frantically and Carina began to see the humor in this situation.

"If you hurt her, I will ensure that it doesn't happen again," James said evenly. "Here's the deal: You make her cry, I make _you_ cry. You break her heart, I break your bones."

Terry nodded.

"And if you touch her in any way other than a short hug _at the most_, I will curse you so badly you won't remember your own name," James promised.

"James, if you don't shut up, I'll curse _you_ so badly you won't remember your own name," Carina interrupted. "And I'll have you know that should be break my heart, there are a lot of people who would likely get there before you, if only because they'd be closer."

"_Nothing_ and _no one_ could slow me down if I heard some little boy had broken your heart," James told her.

"What time is it?"

Terry answered in a much more confident voice than she'd heard from him since he'd come into the office. "It's almost five-thirty."

Carina nodded shortly. "Good. You. Me. Anywhere but here."

Terry nodded. "If you say so."

"Let's go," Carina said, grabbing his arm and pulling him out of the office before either Remus or James could stop them. They ran until they felt there was a safe distance between them and Carina's overprotective godfather and uncle. "Thank you," Carina told him when they finally stopped. "I don't think most boys would have stuck around for that. They'd probably have gone running in the other direction at the sight of infamous James Potter glaring at them murderously."

"Murderously?" Terry asked nervously.

Carina grinned. "He won't kill you." She paused, "Unless you hurt me, but you won't, so we don't have to worry about that."

They were both silent for a second, and then Carina said, "I'm really sorry you had to put up with that, if I'd known he was going to do that, I'd have… well, I don't know, but I'd have done _something_!"

Terry smirked, "Personalized insults?"

"Am I really _that_ bad?" Carina asked him.

"…um, don't hit me, but yes," Terry answered. "It's not completely a bad thing," he assured her. "You really don't do it unless you're truly angry with a good reason, so it's perfectly reasonable, I guess you just have a gift with words."

"Thank you," Carina said, blinking in surprise. "I don't think anyone other than Mia, Ella, and 'Rea have ever thought my insults were a good thing."

Terry shrugged uncomfortably as they started making their way back to Ravenclaw tower. "I guess – are we still going to hang out tomorrow?" she asked him, biting her lip.

"Yea, of course," Terry answered.

"Great!" she exclaimed, grinning. "See you then," she said, and then gave him a small kiss on the cheek and darted up to her dormitory. Her friends would be wanting to hear about this, and she was fully prepared to tell them.


	12. Epilogue: Carina Tortures James

**Epilogue, Sort Of: Carina Tortures James**

**June 20****th**** 1994**

Carina smirked as she scanned the crowd of parents, looking for her godfather. She finally spotted him off in a corner where he could see about everything but barely anyone could see him. How typical. "Are you sure about this, Terry?" she asked, biting her lip. She had suggested it as a joke, but Terry had thought it was a good idea.

Personally, Carina thought it was a reckless Gryffindor plan with a tad bit of Slytherin cruelty added in. There was no Ravenclaw intelligence in this, it was like – tickling a sleeping dragon, amusingly enough. "I'm sure," he said confidently.

"Have you written your will?" she joked.

"He wouldn't kill me, because he'd have to get through you, and he wouldn't hurt you for anything in the world," Terry pointed out. "But no, I really think we should do this. Just to show that he didn't make me run off."

"He'll just try harder," she muttered. It was normal people who decided that the ones who stuck around after the first try were worth a chance – James wasn't normal, not by a long shot.

"Can he see us?" Terry asked her, as he wasn't supposed to look for or at James at all.

"Yeah, he's staring directly at us," Carina answered. Well, he was actually staring at Terry, but he didn't need to know that James was watching him like a hawk… a very angry, hungry hawk. And Terry was the prey, apparently.

"So now?" Terry asked nervously.

"Now," Carina confirmed, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. Just before her lips connected, he moved to the side slightly, causing her to end up kissing him on the lips: just a part of their plan. Torture for James, and after the way he'd acted to Terry, it was well earned torture.

The kiss ended quickly enough, after all, they wanted James tortured, not murderous – and besides that, she wasn't nearly ready for even heavy snogging yet. She knew she really liked Terry, but she also knew he wasn't the 'one' – and yet she got along with him so well, they were interested in a lot of the same things, and he could make her smile so easily.

Carina shook her head to clear the thoughts and grinned at Terry, giving him another kiss on the cheek, this one actually landing there. "See you later?"

"Anytime," Terry confirmed.

Carina smiled mischievously, "I might just take you up on that one, Mr. Boot."

"Oh?"

"I've been worried for awhile now that James' insanity is contagious," she explained, still grinning.

"Ah," Terry said. "Oh crap – there's my parents."

She hugged him one last time and ran over towards James, watching from a distance as Terry spoke to his parents.

"What was that?" James asked her dangerously.

"That," Carina said with a smug smirk, "Was me starting to keep a promise that I made you. Seeing as how I felt so bad about breaking the other one, I figured I should be keeping this one."

At the horrified look on her godfathers face, Carina couldn't resist a grin. Teasing him was so easy sometimes, but it was terribly amusing as well. (Finite. That's it. I'm stopping, now, before I write another unplotted chapter when I'm trying to end it!)


End file.
